


Song Challenge: Second Child, Restless Child

by Windfighter



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-16 16:45:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16499054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windfighter/pseuds/Windfighter
Summary: Tuuri dreams about seeing the world. She does whatever she can in an attempt to get out of the safe areas and see the Silent World. Her soul will never rest until she does.





	Song Challenge: Second Child, Restless Child

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Second Child, Restless Child](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/429824) by The Oh Hellos. 



The hedgehog ran. It wasn't time yet but they couldn't wait, they had already waited so long. They rushed past an owl, forced themself inbetween a moose and a swan. The newborn soul laid bare infront of them all. The hedgehog stopped, stared at it. It wasn't time to bind themself to it yet, not for another couple of years, but they couldn't wait.

The owl called out to them as they jumped onto the newborn soul.

 

Half a year and Tuuri was already up and walking. Almost walking at least. Her older brother kept a close eye on her as she crawled over the floor. Her grandmother also looked at her, stared at the shape of a hedgehog floating around her.

”Ni!” Tuuri demanded.

”I'm here”, Onni glanced at their grandmother.

”Ni!” Tuuri demanded again, attempting to get up on her feet so she could open the door.

Onni panicked, rushed over to Tuuri and dragged her away from the door.

”You can't go out there, the world is dangerous and you are too young.”

”Poo”, Tuuri said and struggled in Onni's arms.

He let her down again, as far away from the door as he could. She was there again in a matter of minutes.

 

”Let's go outside!”

Tuuri pulled at Onni's sleeve. Onni looked towards their mother but she didn't say anything, too busy working on repairing the clothes Tuuri tore last time she was outside.

”I want to pick blueberries!”

Onni resigned himself to his fate, followed her. Tuuri laughed, grabbed the basket their mother had made and ran outside. The sun shone on her face and she smiled, twirled in the sunlight and then continued running towards the blueberries. She dove onto the moss, spread out among the blueberry bushes and dropped some in her mouth. She could hear the water and got up again just as Onni caught up with her.

”Tuuri, wait!”

She ran to the water, balanced on the rocks next to it. Onni came up to her, grabbed her around the waist and carried her away from there.

”It's dangerous out there, you have to stay here, where it's safe.”

”I'm a big girl!” Tuuri squirreled in his grip. ”I can handle it!”

”You're only four.”

”You're not that much older!”

”I'm not the one trying to escape into the wilderness!”

He turned her back towards the blueberries and she picked up the basket again.

 

Lalli was only three the first time Ensi let him follow along into the silent world. Tuuri crossed her arms across her chest when she watched them leave.

”He doesn't even want to! Why can't I follow along instead?”

”Because you're not immune”, her mother said, ”and there are trolls outside that could eat you.”

”They could eat him too.”

Tuuri's mother shrugged.

”I wouldn't let him, but I'm not his mother.”

”One day I'm gonna come along as well”, Tuuri decided and put her hands to her sides. ”I will see the world.”

 

It was the middle of the night. In the morning Ensi would leave on the boat again. Tuuri turned in her bed, looked towards Onni. Onni was sleeping.

”Onni?” Tuuri whispered.

Onni didn't answer, didn't move. Tuuri pushed the blanket away, then waited. Onni kept laying still and she put her feet on the floor. It creaked slightly, but he kept sleeping and she rushed outside, stopping only long enough to put on her shoes. Most people were asleep and she didn't need to hide while walking through the village. The boat was tied to the dock and Tuuri let herself down into it. She looked towards the forest on the other side of the water. It was so big, so mysterious. She wanted to go out there, wanted to see what Ensi and Lalli saw every time they went there.

”This time I'll get there.”

Her hands touched the oars, but she didn't put them into the water. She wasn't strong enough to get the boat there by herself. Instead she grabbed a blanket Ensi had stashed in the boat, then hid under it. This way they could't keep her away. The night was cold and she shivered under the blanket but she wouldn't move, if she did she'd miss her opportunity.

The sun started rising, some of the light made its way under the blanket. Tuuri listened as the village started waking up and then the boat rocked as someone jumped into it. A small hand grabbed the edge of the blanket and lifted it. Tuuri stared into Lalli's shining eyes.

”Don't tell grandma!”

Lalli looked away, then looked at Tuuri again. He opened his mouth, then let go of the blanket.

”Do we have a stowaway?” Ensi asked.

Tuuri couldn't hear Lalli's voice, but then Ensi lifted the blanket away from her.

”You can't come along, you'd be a risk.”

Ensi's hands grabbed Tuuri, lifted her from the boat and put her on the dock. Tuuri watched dissapointedly when the boat left.

 

Every time Ensi took Lalli out Tuuri was either there and helping them pack the boat or watching them from a distance. She had tried sneaking onboard so many times by now. Every time Ensi had caught her no matter how well she hid. Onni had moved his bed next to hers so she couldn't sneak out as easily. She sat on a rock and watched Lalli and Ensi leave again. Lalli looked unimpressed as usual.

”Why can't grandma just take me along instead?” she complained to Onni.

Onni put a hand on her shoulder.

”You know why. You have to stop thinking about this.”

”Are you going to tell mother again?”

”I should.”

”You really are a pisshead!”

Onni let out a sigh and looked towards the forest on the other side of the lake, then towards their own forest, the one that was safe.

”...Blueberries?” he asked.

Tuuri let out a sigh, then smiled towards him.

”Blueberries”, she agreed.

 

Onni grabbed Tuuri's hand, pulled her out of her bed. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder.

”Onni?”

It was night. She rubbed her eyes. Orange light shone through the window. Onni pulled at her, dragged her across the floor, out of the house. Their parents were close behind, Lalli's parents caught up to them when they reached the docks.

”What's happening?” Tuuri asked.

She was pushed into one of the boats. A part of her squeed, a part of her was confused. Onni dropped his backpack into the boat as well. Sounds of battle from the other side of the town, screams. One of the village's hunters jumped down into the boat with Tuuri and Onni.

”Mom?” Tuuri asked.

The rope holding the boat to the dock was tied loose and thrown into the boat.

”I'll catch up with you later, I promise.”

The boat pulled away. Tuuri looked at Onni, at the man, towards their village. More boats left, the flames grew higher. She was terrified.

”This isn't what I wanted”, she whispered.

”This isn't what anyone wanted”, Onni answered and pulled her closer, ”but we'll be safe in Keuruu.”

 

Keuruu was even further from the world Tuuri wanted to see. Further from the world, and their family hadn't followed them, had never arrived. Tuuri tried not to think about it. It was just something that happened. The military had adopted the two of them, had adopted Lalli as well when he finally arrived on foot even later. They had been there for a couple months already and had gotten used to the new life.

It was morning, breakfast. Lalli would come back from scouting at any moment and Tuuri ran down to the dining place, grabbed her food and sat down. Her eyes danced across the nightscouts as they joined and then Lalli arrived as well. Lalli looked at Tuuri, sat down next to her. Onni wasn't there yet.

”Did you see anything out there?”

”Mm”, Lalli answered and poked at the food infront of him.

”What? What did you see? Did you see a troll? Or something else?”

Lalli shrugged, decided that the food was edible and quickly swallowed it. Tuuri grabbed his arm.

”You have to tell me everything, I can't go out there!”

”'s nothing interesting.”

”Of course you'd say that, you don't find anything interesting.”

Onni arrived. Lalli looked at him, then got up and left. Tuuri pouted.

”I almost got him to tell me stuff.”

”You need to stop thinking about the world outside, we have everything we need in here.”

”Not our parents.”

Tuuri saw pain dancing over Onni's face. It had been a low blow and she knew she should apologize. Instead she got up and left.

 

Every now and then boats would arrive at Keuruu. Tuuri quickly learned when and often waited at the dock for them, watched as the people left the boat. She dreamed about one day taking the boat herself, but she knew it only led to other safe areas. Not out there, not where she wanted to go. She would watch the boats leave, her body itching to go along, get out there and see the world. She would imagine all the things the passengers would see on their travels – abandoned cities, trolls, huge packs of moose, cars from the old days. She had seen pictures, but pictures wasn't the same as seeing them in person.

”Are you here again?”

Onni had found her. He always found her.

”I'm not going to leave”, she said.

”You shouldn't even think of it.”

”I'm not like you”, she answered. ”I need to see the world. I can't spend my life locked within these walls.”

”What would happen if you left?” Onni asked and sat down beside her. ”If you got killed? If you got infected?”

”What if I survived?”

”I can still hear ther voices. I don't want your voice added to theirs.”

”I'm not going to leave”, Tuuri promised again.

At least not today.

 

Tuuri's squee echoed across Keuruu. Taru smiled.

”Does that mean you'll accept?”

”Onni will come as well, right?”

”I asked him, but he said no.”

”oh... But Lalli will come right?”

”I could ask him, we need a scout.”

”aaaaa, let me tell him, he'll be so excited!”

Taru laughed.

”Alright, you can do that. Let me know.”

 

Here they were. On their way to a great adventure. Tuuri could barely contain her excitement, but Lalli was sleeping and they weren't allowed to talk. What could happen? Tuuri kept quiet anyway, or else they might have thrown her off, she might have missed this opportunity. She played cards with Taru, did what she could to not think about how she was finally out there and yet not allowed to experience it.

But soon. She'll be out there for real in just a few days. First they'd go to Sweden, meet up with the others and then they would be off. Adventure. She'd finally see the world. Experience it first-hand and not just through ancient writings and the occassional phrase she managed to drag out of Lalli.

Lalli moved under the table. The blinds were opening up and Tuuri kicked her cousin.

”Lalli! Come look at the view!”

It was amazing. She couldn't wait to get closer.

 

Denmark had been amazing. Tuuri had seen so many things, had documented them for the people at home. She had seen animals living out in the wild, so many books and cars and the _buildings_. Her whole life she had wanted this and now she had it, now she had her adventure. She still wasn't allowed to go wherever she wanted, but for now it was enough. It was perfect.

”I told you you didn't need to worry”, she told Onni over the radio for the fiftieth time.

”I'm not worried”, Onni said but Tuuri knew he was lying. ”I just think that now that you've seen the world you should come home and stay here where it's safe.”

”It's not dangerous at all out here, everyone are just cowards.”

Lalli looked at her, but didn't say anything.

”You know how dangerous it is”, Onni whispered.

She knew what he meant, but she ignored it.

”You're just a coward”, she teased.

 

Fear. Tuuri wanted to scream. She could see that Reynir wanted to scream. Neither of them did. Lalli stared at her, then ran outside again. Tuuri stared at the troll on the floor. She had seen a troll now. Up close and personal. Reynir stared at her. Her hand rested ontop of the wound the troll had caused her. Lalli returned with Mikkel.

'Will I die?'

Tuuri didn't ask.

 

_What if I survive?_

Tuuri stared at the water infront of her. The voices echoed in her head. Onni's fear suddenly made sense.

”I really thought that it wouldn't happen”, she said. ”That somone over there would be looking out for me.”

She looked towards the sky. A swan was circling above her. She knew what she had to do. She let out a sigh and waded into the water. The cold wrapped around her legs, but she didn't stop, kept walking. The water engulfed her body, pulled it down. There wasn't any air. Her lungs were burning. There wasn't any use holding her breath and she let go of it, let the water fill her lungs. The swan dove.

 

The hedgehog followed the Swan and the soul they had bonded with as they left the body. They had seen the world. They had been on an adventure. They had made their human happy. They skipped across the water and then leaped towards the sky. It couldn't wait to bond with another human.

 


End file.
